Process for rendering cellulosic textile fabric crease resistant and the resulting article



United States Patent 4 Claims. (of. 117 1s9.4

This invention relates to anticrease finishes and processes for their production and use. More particularly it relates to an anticrease finish for cotton textile fabrics to render them resistant to chlorine by application to such fabrics of a mixture of dimethylol-imidazolidone-Z and dimethylol compounds of alkenyl ureas. The present invention also relates to a novel composition of matter which is suitable for use in the treatment of cellulosic textile fabrics to make them resistant to creasing.

In our United States patent application Serial No. 33,924 (now Patent No. 3,058,848) We described a process of anticrease finishing of cellulosic fabrics which comprises impregnating the fabrics with impregnating liquors containing a mixture of dimethylol-imidazolidone-2 and ethers thereof whereby the ratio between dimethyl-imidazolidone-2 and its ether ranges from 95-60% to 540% and the impregnating liquors contain 20l00 grams of the mixture per liter of solution, controlling the concentration and conditions of application to provide 1 to 7% pick-up of the impregnating agents on the weight of the fabric, and fixing the impregnating agent on the fabric by drying and heating the impregnated materials. The optimum results in said process are obtained by using impregnating liquors containing mixtures of dimethylolimidazolidone-Z and unsaturated ether thereof, especially its diallyl ether.

Fabrics are thus obtained which have excellent resistance to creasing and, as in contrast to textiles treated with dimethylol-imidazolidone-Z alone, show no chlorine retention, i.e., they do not assume a yellow discoloration when subjected, after intense washing, to a chlorine treatment with subsequent ironing and do not lose their strength.

When this method is applied especially on a large scale, difiiculties sometimes arise in practice in that the unsaturated ethers of the dimethylol-imidazolidone-2, being preferably used, are split up to a small extent and that the resultant unsaturated alcohols cause undesirable irritations of the mucous membranes.

We have now found that the said disadvantage can be avoided by adding to baths containing dimethylol-imidazolidone-2, methylol-substituted alkenylor dialkenylureas instead of such unsaturated ethers of dimethylolimidazolidone-2. Especially suited are the dimethylolsubstituted allyl and diallyl areas, and also methylolsubstituted alkylalkenyl-ureas, such as dimethylolethyl-allyl-urea can be used for the process of the present invention. it is sufiicient to admix the dimethylol-imidazolidone-Z with such amounts of the methylol-substituted alkenyl ureas as impart to a solvent-free mixture of these substances an iodine number between 10 and 100,

3,188,232 Patented June 8, 1965 preferably between 20 and 60. The impregnating bathsor liquors may contain 10-150 grams of the mixture per liter of solution. Concentration and conditions of application may be controlled to provide 0.5 to 15% pick-up of the impregnating agents on the Weight of the fabric.

It is an object of the present invention to provide anticrease finishes which show a very favorable behavior with respect to chlorine retention, i.e., the finishes do not exhibit any discoloration when subjected, after intense washing, to chlorine treatment and subsequent ironing.

It is a still further object of this invention to obtain anticrease finishes which retain the soft feel and permeability or porosity of the untreated fabric.

The methylol-substituted alkenyl ureas which are components of the finishing compositions for use in the process of this invention together with dimethylol-imidazolidone-Z may be prepared by known methods.

The processes of the present invention are illustrated by the following examples in which it is to be understood that all temperatures are specified in degrees centigrade, and that the invention is not limited to the specific details of these examples:

Example 1 A bleached and mercerized material consisting of a cotton poplin mixed fabric is impregnated on a padding machine with a solution of:

57 grams/liter dimethylol-imidazolidone-Z in the form of i a 50% aqueous solution 1 10.5 grams/liter dimethylol-diallyl urea 1 15 grams/liter crystalline magnesium chloride 1 Iodine number of the dry mixturez tO.

The pick-up of liquor is based on the weight of the air-dried fabric. Subsequently, the fabric is dried at temperatures'of 60-80 and cured at for 3 minutes.

The chlorine stability test is conducted after 4 hours was-hing at the boiling point with 3 grams/liter Marseilles soap and 2 grams/liter calcined soda as follows:

In accordance with Tentative Test Method 69-52 Damage Caused by Retained Chroline of the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists the finished fabric swatch is first boiled out in distilled water for 3 minutes and treated at 27 for 15 minutes While still wet with a sodium hypochlorite soltuion containing 0.25% active chlorine in the liquor ratio 1:50. Then the thus treated fabric swatch is rinsed in fresh water for one minute at a temperature of 21-27, afterwards the excess water of the swatch being squeezed by hand and this rinsing process being repeated 6 times. Subsequently, the swatch is dried in a drying oven at 80 and suspended for 4 hours in an air-conditioned test room maintained at a temperature of 20 and a relative humidity of 65%. At the end of this period the finished swatch is subjected to heating for 30 seconds in an ironing press, the metal plate of which is heated to A swatch of the same cotton poplin mixed fabric was treated for purposes of comparison with a finished prepared with dimethylol-imidazolidone-2 without any dimethylol-diallyl urea according to the following recipe: 67.5 grams/liter dimethylol-imidazolidone-2 in the form of a 50% aqueous solution 15 grams/ liter crystalline magnesium chloride The subsequent treatment of the fabric with the fore- C9 going finish on the padding machine and the further treatments as well as the examination of the fabrics for observing effects of the chlorine retention were performed as described hereinbefore.

These tests yielded the following results:

Tensile Strength (weft) 4 hours washing at the boiling point, chlorinated, kg.

Unwashed not chlorinated, kg.

Mixture of dimethyloldmidazolidone- 2 and dimethylol-dinllyl urea according to the present invention Dimethylol-imidazolidone-Z (alone) Example 2 A mercerized material consisting of a cotton poplin mixed fabric is finished with a solution of 61 grams/liter dimethylol-imidazolidone-Z in the form of a 50% aqueous solution 1 I 6.5 grams/liter dimethylol-diallyl-urea 1 15 grams/ liter crystalline magnesium chloride 1 Iodine number of the dry mixture:25.0.

Example 3 A mercerized material consisting of a cotton poplin mixed fabric is finished according to the following receipe with 49 grams/ liter dime-thylol-imidazolidone-2 in the form of a 50% aqueous solution 16 grams/liter dimethylol-monoallyl urea 1 l5 grams/liter crystalline magnesium chloride 1 Iodine number of the dry mixture=43.

as described in Example 1, and subsequently washed, subjected to chlorine treatment and heated. The tensile strength of the fabric (weft) is reduced from 29.2 to 17.2 kg. due to chlorine treatment. A fabric finished in the same manner with 65 grams/ liter dirnethylol-imidazolidone-Z in the form of a 50% aqueous solution, 15 grams/liter crystalline magnesium chloride 4, is damaged due to the heating process which is preceded by the chlorine treatment and has a tensile strength of only 3.9 kg.

It is to be understood that this invention is capable of further modification and, accordingly, it is desired to include such modifications within this invention as may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A process of anticrease finishing of cellulosic textile fabric which comprises impregnating the fabric with an impregnating solution containing a mixture of dimethylol-imidazolidone-Z and amethylol-substituted allylurea of the group consisting of dimethylolmonoallylurea, dimethyloldiallylurea, and dhnethylolethylallylurea in such a ratio to each other that the iodine number of the dry mixture is between 10 and and the impregnating solution contains between 10 and grams of the mixture per liter of solution, controlling the concentration and conditions of application to provide a retention of between 0.5 and 15% by weight of the mixture based on the dry weight of the components of the impregnating solution and the weight of the fabric, and subsequently fixing the components of the impregnating solution on the fabric by drying and heating the impregnated fabric.

2. A process as defined in claim 1 in which the impregnating solution contains a mixture of dimethylol-imidazolidone-2 and dimethylol-diallyl urea in such a ratio to each other that the iodine number of the dry mixture is between 20 and 60.

3. A process as defined in claim 1 in which the impregnating solution contains a mixture of dimcthylol-imidazolidone-2 and dimethylol-monoallyl urea in such a ratio to each other that the iodine number of the dry mixture is between 20 and 60.

4. An article of manufacture comprising a cellulosic textile fabric containing between 0.5 and 15% by Weight of a mixture of dimethylol-imidazolidone-2 and a methylol-substituted allylurea of the group consisting of dimethylolmonoallylurea, dimethyloldiallylurea and dimethylolethylallylurea in such a ratio to each other that the iodine number of the dry mixture is between 10 and 100.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,734,083 2/56 Milionis et a1. 117l39.4 XR 2,899,263 8/59 Nuessle et al. ll7l39.4 XR 2,901,463 8/59 Hurwitz 117139.4 XR

WILLIAM D. MARTIN, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD D. NEVIUS, Examiner. 

1. A PROCESS OF ANTICREASE FINISHING OF CELLULOSIC TEXTILE FABRIC WHICH COMPRISES IMPREGNATING THE FABRIC WITH AN IMPREGNATING SOLUTION CONTAINING A MIXTURE OF DIMETHYLOL-IMIDAZOLIDONE-2 AND A METHYLOL-SUBSTITUTED ALLYLUREA OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF DIMETHYLOLMONOALLYLUREA, DIMETHYLOLDIALLYLUREA, AND DIMETHYLOLETHYLALLYLUREA IN SUCH A RATIO TO EACH OTHER THAT THE IODINE NUMBER OF THE DRY MIXTURE IS BETWEEN 10 AN 100 AND THE IMPREGNATING SOLUTION CONTAINS BETWEEN 10 AND 150 GRAMS OF THE MIXTURE PER LITER OF SOLUTION, CONTROLLING THE CONCENTRATION AND CONDITIONS OF APPLICATION TO PROVIDE A RETENTION OF BE TWEEN 0.5 AND 15% BY WEIGHT OF THE MIXTURE BASED ON THE DRY WEIGHT OF THE COMPONENTS OF THE IMPEGNATING SOLUTION AND THE WEIGHT OF THE FABRIC, AND SUBSEQUENTLY FIXING THE COMPONENTS OF THE IMPREGNATING SOLUTION ON THE FABRIC BY DRYING AND HEATING THE IMPREGNATED FABRIC. 